The second morning of Aria at St. Clair Academy began even before the sun had fully risen.
The air was still damp, the school grounds still empty, yet Aria was already walking through the gates with light steps devoid of warmth. Her uniform was neat, her black hair fell straight to her waist, and her gaze remained as calm as frozen glass.
The school was filled with children of officials, corporate heirs, and teenagers with "secured" futures—yet Aria looked like an anomaly among them.
She did not look left or right.
She paid no attention to the students whispering about her.
She did not care about the stares that followed her steps.
She simply walked, indifferent.
And perhaps precisely because of that, people could not stop watching her.
---
In the classroom, the students were already seated neatly, some discussing new rumors about Aria.
"She's really cold, seriously."
"Her aura is like a surgeon evaluating a patient…"
"She's pretty, but scary."
"I saw her reading a medical book yesterday. Does she even understand it?"
Aria heard everything, but she did not care.
She chose the back seat, the desk near the window. A quiet place, far from curious stares.
As she sat down, someone watched her in silence.
Claire Willis, sixteen years old, sat a few seats ahead of her.
The girl lowered her head every time Aria shifted her gaze. She was not popular, nor the type to gossip, but she was curious about Aria.
On the first day, Claire had been afraid Aria would be exactly like the rumors.
It turned out Aria was quieter than any rumor.
When Aria opened her notebook, Claire dared to steal a glance—just once.
But when Aria's pale blue eyes suddenly lifted, Claire immediately looked down.
Aria looked at Claire for only one second.
Yet that single second felt long.
Claire gripped her pencil tightly, as if it might shatter.
Aria returned her gaze to the notebook.
Claire quietly exhaled.
---
The classroom door opened.
Teacher Morgan entered with a stack of files.
Morgan—a thirty-three-year-old man—had a gentle face, soft eyes, and a calm manner of speaking. A teacher fairly well-liked by students because he was neither harsh nor easily swayed by their social status.
But when his eyes caught Aria—
he paused for a second.
There was something about the girl that set her apart from the others.
Not merely beauty or silence.
There was… a maturity that felt out of place.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, Teacher Morgan," the students replied in unison.
Aria did not open her mouth.
Morgan noticed, but did not reprimand her.
He understood Aria was not being defiant—she was simply… different.
"Alright, we'll start by checking your math assignments."
Groans immediately filled the room.
Aria remained silent, taking out a plain sheet of paper she used to write her answers. She had not yet received a textbook, but that did not hinder her.
Morgan walked around, collecting each assignment.
When he reached Aria's desk, his eyes were immediately drawn to the answers—neat, precise, without a single erasure.
All correct.
Even the way Aria wrote the formulas looked like someone who had been doing this for years.
"Aria."
Morgan's voice was gentle, yet sharp.
Aria lifted her face.
"Is this too easy for you?"
The entire class fell silent.
All eyes turned toward Aria.
She looked at Morgan without hesitation.
"No."
The tone was flat—without arrogance.
That was what made her different.
Other students—especially the wealthy ones—would have taken pride in appearing smart.
Aria did not care whether people knew she was capable or not.
Morgan suppressed a smile.
There was something about her that reminded him of someone… perhaps himself in the past.
Before he could say anything else, Selena—seated at the front—raised her hand.
"Teacher, maybe Aria was just lucky. Sometimes basic questions can be guessed," she said with a gentle smile.
Aria did not look at her.
Selena glanced back—hoping to find a reaction—but Aria gave her nothing.
Morgan did not laugh.
Instead, he wrote a far more complicated problem on the board.
A university-level question.
Several students protested immediately.
"My dad wouldn't even understand this!"
"Teacher, are you serious?!"
"Why is it so hard?"
Morgan looked at the class.
"This is only a skills test. There are no grades."
Then he turned to Aria.
"If you want, you can try to solve it."
Without speaking, Aria stood up.
Her steps were slow and silent.
She stood before the board.
Picked up the chalk.
And wrote the solution.
Not rushed.
Not hesitating to think.
Not like someone reciting memorized formulas, but like someone who knew exactly what she was doing.
In less than twenty seconds, the correct answer appeared on the board.
The class was stunned.
Claire covered her mouth with her hand.
Irene looked at Selena, searching for validation.
Hugo Davenport raised his eyebrows high.
Riko secretly took photos, unable to believe it.
Nova whispered,
"So fast…"
Selena… did not smile.
Her smile froze at the corners of her lips.
Aria placed the chalk down, walked back to her seat, sat, and opened her book again.
As if what had just happened meant nothing.
Morgan looked at the board, then at Aria.
And in that silence—
he knew this girl was no ordinary student.
---
During break, Morgan called Aria out of the classroom.
"Aria, may I speak with you for a moment?"
Aria stood and followed him to a small counseling room at the corner of the corridor.
The room was warm, full of books, and far more human than any other space in this elite school.
Aria sat down without being asked.
Morgan sat across from her, placing his notebook on the desk.
"I want to ask you something," he said slowly. "Have you… ever received special training?"
Aria shook her head.
"No."
Morgan fell silent for a moment.
He studied Aria's expression—or rather, the absence of one.
"Then… where did you learn all this?"
"Books."
That was all.
One word.
Yet the way Aria answered made Morgan realize—
this girl did not exaggerate anything.
Morgan rubbed his temple lightly.
"Aria, do you realize that your abilities… are above the average student's?"
Aria looked at him for a long moment.
Then she said,
"Being smart doesn't mean anything."
Morgan was silent.
He had not expected such an answer from a sixteen-year-old.
The sentence sounded like the voice of someone who had gone through something far darker than academic competition.
Morgan leaned forward.
"I don't know what you've been through in the past. But know this—in my class, all students are equal. Including you."
Aria did not respond.
Morgan smiled faintly.
"If you need anything—materials, a place to study, or simply quiet time—you may ask. I'll help however I can."
The words were simple.
But to Aria, it was the most sincere offer she had received since returning to the Valleria family.
She finally nodded slightly.
"Thank you."
Morgan almost looked surprised to hear it, but he hid it.
He only smiled warmly.
"Alright. You may return to class."
---
Outside the room, someone stood behind the wall.
Selena.
She had seen Aria speaking privately with Teacher Morgan.
She leaned her back against the wall, her fingers gripping her bag so tightly that the books inside shifted.
Why did Aria always receive attention without trying?
Why did a teacher who usually praised Selena now look warmer toward Aria?
Selena held her breath, then forced a sweet smile.
She had to maintain her image at school.
But Aria…
Aria did not play by the rules of Selena's world.
And that terrified her most of all.
---
Back in the classroom, Aria walked past rows of students busy whispering.
"Aria got called by Morgan? Why?"
"She was amazing yesterday answering questions."
"It feels like… she's different from us."
Aria returned to her seat.
Claire turned halfway around, gathering her courage.
"A-Aria… what did Teacher Morgan say?"
"Nothing important."
Claire smiled slightly.
"Oh… okay."
Yet there was a strange relief in her eyes.
As if she did not care about anything else, as long as Aria was fine.
That made Aria look at Claire a little longer than usual.
Claire startled and immediately looked down.
Aria did not prolong the gaze.
She opened her book.
And the world fell silent again.
---
When the second break arrived, Aria sat in a small garden behind the school.
The place was quiet, filled with maple trees, the wind blowing gently.
Few students passed through—it was far from the café area.
Aria leaned back against a wooden bench.
Enjoying the silence.
But not long after, someone approached.
"Aria," a soft voice broke the quiet.
Selena.
Aria did not turn.
Selena stood beside the bench, smiling faintly.
"I saw you talking with Teacher Morgan."
Aria did not answer.
"Teacher Morgan is a good teacher… but he's also sensitive and easily misunderstood. You should be careful."
Aria closed her book slowly.
"Why do you care?"
The same tone as yesterday.
Selena let out a practiced, gentle sigh.
"Because you're my sister. And you carry the family name."
Aria stood up.
"Wrong."
Selena froze.
"It's your family name."
And Aria walked away, leaving Selena standing there.
Selena's smile faded completely.
For the first time, Selena felt something tightening in her chest—
fear.
Fear, because Aria did not play within the arena Selena controlled.
Aria did not care about popularity.
Aria did not care about reputation.
Aria did not care about her.
And someone who does not care…
is far harder to control than an enemy.
---
As dismissal approached, Teacher Morgan stood at the classroom door, watching Aria organize her books.
He smiled faintly.
"Aria."
She turned.
"Keep your integrity. This school world… is harsh, even if it looks beautiful."
Aria looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded.
"…I understand."
Morgan wanted to ask many things—about Aria's past, her silence, that misplaced maturity—
but he held back.
He knew Aria would only speak when she wished to.
And that would not happen anytime soon.
Aria walked out of the classroom.
Letting the evening light reflect off her black hair.
Morgan watched until Aria disappeared down the corridor.
There was something about the girl that made him want to protect her… even though he knew Aria might not need anyone's protection.
Or perhaps—
did not want to be protected.
---
When Aria stepped out of the school, the afternoon wind brushed her face.
She paused briefly at the front courtyard, observing other students laughing, chatting, and displaying their seemingly perfect lives.
Aria was not envious.
She did not want to join them.
She did not feel left behind.
She was simply… different.
And that world had never been hers.
In that silence, she concluded:
"At least, in class, there is someone who does not play fake."
Aria walked toward the Valleria family car, unaware that from a second-floor window, Teacher Morgan was still watching her leave.
And at the edge of the garden, hidden behind a maple tree, Selena watched Aria with eyes full of jealousy and wariness.